Sometimes It's Better To Pretend
by april-karev
Summary: "So this is really embarrassing." He says after a couple minutes of awkward silence. "But, well, I'm going to see my parents this weekend and I kinda told them that we're married."


Sometimes It's Better To Pretend

It's about 3:00 when Rachel stops in front of Chris' table, she's worked at this small café for a year, it's not much but it's enough to keep her head above the water. She's seen him around a couple times they mumble a hello and that's about it. The fact that she even agreed to have lunch with him is weird but he seemed excited to catch up, and it's 20 minutes so whatever, she'll humor him.

"So this is really embarrassing." He says after a couple minutes of awkward silence. "But, well, I'm going to see my parents this weekend and I kinda told them that we're married."

This whole thing is slightly ridiculous, she hasn't seen him but a few brief moments since they graduated and both happened to move out to Atlanta. Even then they never said anything but a polite hello. "You told them you were married. To me?"

"I know it's stupid, I know. They just kept bothering me about coming home and you were the only person I knew here. I told them we were dating and it just kind of escalated from that."

The look on his face when she started laughing was priceless. Kind of a mix between confused and embarrassed. When she finally wiped the tears from her eyes he was laughing to, though his was more of a 'this girl probably thinks I'm crazy' kind of laugh.

"So, how long have we been together?" she asked finally, he didn't answer and her smile widened. "If we're gonna pull this off you're gonna have to tell me." He tilted his head a little, probably trying to figure out if she was serious or if he was just getting played. "Why not, I don't have plans this weekend. It could be fun."

"Six months." He admitted, "We dated for two of them and then we went down to the court house."

"When do we leave?" she asked, "You can fill me in on the details of our life on the drive."

"Tomorrow morning? Seven?" he asked, "I can push it back a bit if you have something to do."

"Seven's good." She smiled, standing from the table. "My extended lunch break was over like 10 minutes ago so I'm sorry to push you out the door but my boss will kill me if I don't get back to work."

"One more thing, Rach." Chris replied, reaching into his pocket and setting the box down in front of her. "You're gonna need to wear this."

Her jaw dropped when she opened the box, "I can't, this is, just, can't you get me some costume jewelry ring or something?" The ring wasn't much, just a simple silver band with a small diamond, but even that was a little much for someone that was just pretending to be your wife.

"It was my Grandmas." He replied, "They know I have it and they'd be pissed if you didn't wear it."

"I can't." she shook her head, "What if I lose it?"

"I trust you."

"You don't even know me!" she argued.

"I know enough." Chris responded, pulling the ring out of the box and sliding it on her finger easily. "Just don't take it off and we'll be fine." He smiled.

"Rachel, we could really use your help over here!" one of her co-workers shouted. "If you haven't noticed we're kind of swamped.

"I'll meet you here at 6:30 tomorrow, OK." She said and then she was off.

"Put it on." Chris says when he pulls into the parking lot at 10 till 7 the next morning and notices that she doesn't have the ring on. She shakes her head and he walks over to her and puts his hands on his shoulders. "Put it on." He repeats with a laugh. "Come on, just put it on."

She sighs, pulls the ring out of her pocket, and puts it on. She notices that he has one now to, and she wonders where that came from.

"So I've been thinking this thing over." She says as he's loading all of her shit into the back of his car. "You need to kiss me here, before we're in town with all of your family." He laughs, like she's not completely serious and she presses on. "It's in every romantic comedy ever written, OK. Don't you ever watch cable?"

He shuts the trunk and walks over to her. Without a word he pulls her into his arms and presses his lips to hers. She pulls away a minute later and wipes the lip-gloss off his chin with a laugh. "Well I guess that won't be a problem then."

"I think we're good." He responds, opening the door for her before climbing into the car himself. "We've got a long drive, so let's start off with what's your favorite color?" She laughs and says green as she turns on the radio, leaving it low so they can still talk.

"How did we meet?" she asked, "Once we came out here I mean. How did we fall in love?"

"Well," he responded, "You were my waitress down at the café, and I kept coming in to see you then after about 2 weeks you asked if I was gonna ask you out or not." He shrugged, "I didn't give them any more specifics then that, "

"What's our anniversary?" she asked,

"May 10th." He laughed, "And when my mom asks if you want to have a real one just say you don't want to burden her with it and stick with it."

"Will she ask that a lot?"

"She might." He responds, "And she likes you by the way. She thinks you're a good influence on me."

"Well good to know that she won't try to kill me in my sleep." Rachel teased.

They talk for a couple more hours and stop for lunch before Rachel falls asleep. "We're here." He whispers as he pulls into the drive, shaking her lightly. She pulls out her compact mirror and fixes her hair and make-up while he gets the bags out.

The girl lets out a breath as they walk up the drive together and Chris squeezes her hand, "You'll do fine." He says, placing a kiss on the side of her head.

His parents open the door at that exact moment and the look on Chris' moms face is priceless. The woman who Chris had told her is named Martha is short, probably about 5'3, with curly brown hair and a small frame. When she sees Joe, Chris' dad, step out behind her, her jaw almost dropped. She could see where Chris got his looks; they could be brothers if it wasn't for the hint of grey hair on the older mans head. She makes a note to compare them later as Martha pulls her into a hug.

"Was the drive to long?" she asked.

"Not for me, I slept through most of it and let Chris drive."

"As you should have." The woman said, pulling Chris into a hug as well.

Joe stepped up then, sending a light smile Rachel's way. "It's nice to finally meet you." He said, "We were starting to wonder if he made you up."

Rachel couldn't help but let out a laugh at that, snuggling into Chris' side when he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Well I'm real." She teased, sharing a look with her 'husband', "As for the things he told you I wouldn't be so sure."

"You're funny." Chris said, squeezing her side before letting her go. "You guys go on in, I'll bring this stuff up to the bedroom."

"I want to take you guys out to dinner." Rachel said as they walked in, "I don't want you to have to cook for us."

"Don't be silly." Martha said, but Rachel stopped her.

"I want to, I feel bad that we haven't been down since we got married."

"Well OK then." The woman smiled, "I'll go tell Joe to turn off the oven."

"I'll go tell Chris that we're going. Let's say a half hour?" she asked, making her way up the stairs.

"I convinced them to go out." She said once she found her way to Chris' room and plopped down on the bed. "I figured it'd be easier that way then having a grill session at the dining room table."

"Good call." Chris said. "Thanks for doing this again." He said.

"No problem, it's fun."

"I feel bad, lying to them like this." He admitted, "I kinda just let it get out of control."

"Just give it a couple months and then tell them we got a divorce." Rachel said, "Tell them that I left."

"I don't want to hurt you." He said, "I'll think of something, don't worry about it."

"Okay." She responded, looking around the room and laughing at the random junk sitting on the shelves. "You have the dorkiest stuff in here, you know that right?"

"I know." He laughed, "You can make fun of me later, let's go to dinner, I'm starving." He grabbed her hand again as they walked down the stairs again. "We're ready whenever you are, Ma." He called, pulling Rachel into his lap as he sat down on the couch.

His mom smiled when she walked back out to the family room and saw them like that. Pulling her coat on and yelling at his dad to hurry up. They all pile into the car a couple minutes later, Chris and his dad up front while Rachel and Martha take the back seats. They decide to go to Karen's, it's not a big shock that, that's still the only eatable place in this town and when she walks in the door it's like she's been sucked back into high school. The place hasn't changed at all, really. Her head shoots up when she hears the unmistakable voice of Haley James, greeting Chris' parents and she's honestly kind of shocked that she's still working here.

"And if it isn't Chris Keller." She went on with a grin, "And… Rachel?" she asked, "Rachel Gatina?"

"Hey Haley…" Rachel said hesitantly. "Good to see you, I didn't know you still worked here."

"I own it now actually." She replied, "What are you guys doing here, together?"

"Well-" Rachel supplied before Chris cut her off.

"We're married." Chris said, a light smile on his lips. "She charmed me." He added, leaning over and pressing a kiss to Rachel's neck.

"Oh." Haley said, "Well congrats then, what can I get for you guys?"

They all ordered and Haley brought out the drinks. "You'll have to go see Brooke while you're in town, and I'm sure Nathan would love to see you."

"I'll make a note." Chris replied.

The rest of the evening goes by pretty smoothly, his parents ask them a bunch of questions and he answers most of them but lets her chime in here and there while she steals food off of his plate.

"I'm going to go to bed, okay?" she says once they walk back into the house. He nods and presses a quick kiss to her lips before she excused herself and headed up the stairs.

"I like her." Joe says once they hear the door close.

"Me too." His mom agreed, "Why don't you two come down more often."

"Mom." Chris sighed, "She works, OK and it's hard enough to make ends meat without her having to take a day off."

"Well we'll come to you then." She responded.

"We've been over this." He replied, "We'll come back down as soon as possible, OK. Don't worry about it we still have the rest of our weekend to enjoy."

"Okay baby," Martha says after a moment. "Go on up to bed, it's hard to go to sleep by yourself in a house that you're not used to."

"Night Ma." He says, placing a kiss on the top of her head and nodding to his dad before heading up the stairs.

"Shit, sorry." He said, turning on his heel and starring at the wall when he opened the door to see Rachel looking in his dresser drawers in nothing but her black underwear.

"It's fine, I forgot to pack PJs and I was just looking for a tee shirt or something."

He shook his head and let out a short laugh, "Turn around."

"What?" she asked.

"I'm doing my best not to stare at my naked 'wife' right now, so just turn around so I can get you a shirt without starring at you."

The redhead rolled her eyes before turning her body out of Chris' view. "Okay."

He walked over to his closet, reaching into the back and coming out with one of his old t-shirts. "Arms up." He said teasingly, standing behind her. She scoffed and put her arms over her head allowing him to slide the shirt over her head and pull it down.

"I would say I'm gonna sleep on the floor but mom told me to sleep in, which really means she's gonna cook us breakfast and bring it up in the morning so you're kinda obligated to sleep in the same bed as me."

"I wouldn't have let you even if you wanted to." She replied as she turned to face him. "Thanks for saying so though."

"You're welcome." He said, letting out a breath at the sight of her in his old high school t-shirt and found himself wishing that his parents were here so he'd have an excuse to kiss her right now.

She hops onto his bed after that and gets under the covers, and he strips down to his boxers and climbs in next to her. It's a small bed, the same twin mattress he's had his whole life, and so it's a pretty tight squeeze. Her back is pressed up against his chest and she doesn't seem bothered when he wraps his arm around her waist.

Rachel woke up to the sound of movement down in the kitchen, her eyes drifted down to where Chris' arm was still draped over her side before she rolled over to face him.

"Chris." She whispered, shaking him a bit. "What do you say we scar your mom for life a bit?" she asked when he finally opened his eyes. "Maybe I'll save you and a future girlfriend the breakfast in bed routine?"

He looked confused and Rachel just laughed, "Do you trust me?" He didn't look convinced and she shook her head, "It'll be fun."

He nodded just as she heard footsteps come up the stairs and the redhead quickly peeled off her shirt and tossed it near the door.

"Rach, what are you-" she cut him off by straddling his hips, the blanket falling just above his waist as she leaned down and attached their lips. The boy didn't hesitate to respond and when his hand moved up her bare back she figures that he got the memo. The door opened just a second later and Rachel had to bite down lightly on Chris' lip to keep in a laugh at the shocked gasp that Marsha let out before she turned and tried to apologize to the woman who she had potentially scarred for life.

"No, I…" she stammered. "I should have knocked." She set down the tray on the table next to the door and quickly excused herself, the redhead finally let out a tiny laugh when she heard Martha down in the kitchen talking to her husband.

"I can't believe you just did that to my mother." Chris laughed.

"I told you it would be fun."

"Which part, the freaking my mom out or the kissing you while you don't have a shirt on?"

"Both." She shrugged. "Now go grab the food, I'm starving."

He hopped out of the bed without question and Rachel let out a whistle as she starred after him. "Two days to go until you can get rid of me."

"Maybe I won't." he responds with a grin that Rachel can't help but return.

The whole pretending thing gets a whole lot easier after that and Rachel starts getting confused at the thin line they're walking between tricking his parents and actually developing real feelings for each other.

"I think I love you." Chris says when they're sitting across from each other at the dinner table. His mom and dad are both in the kitchen getting the food and she just stares at him.

"Well I would hope so." She said, looking at the door to see if Martha or Joe were watching or something. "You married me didn't you?"

'No." he responded, his voice now barely a whisper. "I think I'm in love with you, I mean, I think that's why I made this whole thing up.

"What?" she asked. "You can't be serious." She pushed her chair out from the table and started toward the stairs.

"Would that be so bad?" Chris called after her, "I mean, we're good together aren't we?"

"You don't even know me well enough to love me!" Rachel said, her head snapping up when she saw Chris' parents standing in the doorway. "Just forget it, can we go?"

"You love me too." He responded, "I can feel that you do."

"Chris…"

"Just tell me the truth. Tell me you don't feel anything for me."

"I," she said, closing her eyes for a second. "I don't know what to say."

"Rach, please." He begged, moving to stand in front of her, his hands moving up and down her arms. "Please."

"Can we go?" she repeats and Chris finally nods. He packs up all their stuff while Rachel goes outside just to get some fresh air. When he comes out 20 minutes later her head is resting on her knees and she's looking out onto the streets she had known her whole life.

"I told them." He says as he takes a seat next to her. "I told them everything."

"What did they say?" she asked, not daring to look over at him.

"Not to let you get away." He replied, "Rachel, let's just start over. We can be friends."

"I don't want to be your friend." She argued, "And I'm not your wife." She continued, sliding the ring off of her finger and pressing it into his palm.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked.

"Just take me home."

"Okay." He said finally before walking back into the house and grabbing the bags.

The ride home was silent and when they pulled into the parking lot Chris finally spoke up. "Rachel, damn it! I get that you don't feel the same way but just say something to let me know you're still alive in there."

"I think I love you, too." She said after a minute. "And that freaks me out a little bit."

"Wait, you do?" he asked.

"But what if it's all a lie? What if we're just confused because we were acting like it."

"We're not." Chris said. "I'm not." His lips attached to hers a second later, the girl finally pulling away when air became necessary. "I love you." He said again, brushing the hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear.

"I love you, too." She replied, leaning in to brush her lips over his.

The next time they make the 7 hour drive down to Tree Hill to see his family it's to announce that they're engaged, and this time when his mom asks if it's okay for her to throw them a big wedding she doesn't hesitate to say yes.


End file.
